I don't own the UltaMid (yet) but from one of Richard pics, it seems that if you keep one side of the door staked and only open the other, this should keep most rain from getting into your sleeping area (which would be to one side).

And, FWIW, from the pics it seems it would be pretty easy to rig up a 'room divider' from the center pole to the front door to really keep rain from that side when the door is open.

No problems with rain getting in using it as a single person shelter and just opening one door side. The rain wasn't a down pour but pretty constant. I did rig up my Zpacks Cloudkilt to shelter the end near the door to see how it would work and it would work great. Tried to take a pic but my camera battery died. It was nice having the extra room when everything is wet.

Looks like a great setup, Richard. It should be able to handle almost anything.

For those interested, I recently purchased the Sea To Summit Nano Duo. The netting with some shockcord and two small mitten hooks weighs 3.8 oz. The collapsible pole that it came with weighs 1.2 oz (I'll probably leave the pole at home). I expect this will give me decent bug protection for a very low weight.

Yeah, my duomid and supermid both have a flap over the zipper. I really like the location of the zipper on the smaller panel on the Ultamid but I think I'll wait until it has had a few tweaks before I pull the trigger on such an expensive shelter.

I just bought and have received the Ultamid 2. I have not set it up yet, but hope this is a test model defect. I hope it wasn't an oversight in design as it is a serious defect if so.

If it is a defect I am thinking it can be corrected with a cuben flap and 2 way cuben tape the full length of the flap on one side and 2-3 pieces of velcro on the other. Sewing should not be necessary and the fix could be done at home.

I noted there was no flap before I ordered it and assumed the zipper was waterproof\resistant. And it does appear to be.

I will update the forum once I get it set up and then out in the rain.

Unless I'm having a stroke, the pictures clearly show the UltraMid having a uretek (water resistant) zipper, which is the same decent zip everyone from MSR to MLD uses.

In some cases it's accompanied by a flap (ie. MLD) while other manufacturers don't bother (ie. MSR). IMO a flap over a uretek zipper is a poor idea. Flaps were always a crude way to keep rain out when using a low end non-weather resistant zip (ie. TarpTent). Think of shell jackets: low end shells have poor zippers + flap, while high end ones have good zippers. Somehow in the shelter world flaps have partially stayed around in higher end applications even though manufacturers are using better zippers which keep virtually all the water out. My cuben MLD DuoMid had one but I cut it off. The result is a simpler, lighter doorway that still keeps the rain out and doesn't have a flap constantly snagging in the zip.

No one should be wanting a flap on the HMG UltraMid. What we should be looking for is a zipper garage to guard the top (which appears to be the actual problem in the review), and secondly if you don't trust a uretek zipper to keep the weather out then we should be moving forward towards a fully waterproof zipper (ie. YKK Aquaseal/Vislon #5) rather than backwards to a flap. This is an opportunity for HMG to step up and take the shelter innovation lead. I'm sure you can justify a $20-$30 zipper in a $650 shelter.

I have set up my new Ultamid 2 and can confirm the following (pictures to follow later):

1. The zipper is incredibly water resistant and +1 to Dan re the garage insight. The issue the reviewer encountered was likely caused by the absence of the garage and leakage occurring around the top of the zipper only and running down inside. The zipper is a 2-way\double zipper. This garage is very easily rectified with a piece of anything I suppose with cuben tape being the ideal. I have some, so no worries there.

2. As for interior tie outs, my tent includes 2 (unlike the reviewers), one in the center of each side panel about 1 to 1.5 feet down from the apex. Anticipating the need for more when I ordered it (for a planned Bear Paw inner net, yet to be spec'd and ordered), I asked HMG to include tie outs which I could attach myself later and they sent me 6.

3. As for the absence of the buckle at the bottom of the doors to reduce strain on the zipper, the tent functions fine without it. Accepting that sustained strain over time may weaken the zipper, this would likely be a good idea. But is all add weight of course. As it is, the 2 peg tie outs at the base of the doors provide a great points for any number of connection solutions someone may want to add themselves.

Fortunately, the noted issues, to the extent they are issues, are easily addressed. HMG may want to address it themselves on future builds, but for those of us who have ordered early, they don't pose any problem that can't be fixed at home.

In general I am very pleased with the tent. It is my first mid and even with limited experience it is very easy to get a taut pitch. It appears very strong and well sewn.

Thanks Dan and Derrick for confounding one of my prejudices, that's why I love this site. You're right, none of my better rain jackets have a storm flap, and they take a lot more abuse/abrasion than my shelters do. It's the 21st century - no more storm flaps! (though a garage would be nice)

Would also love some reports on how the zipper on the short panel is working out - particularly when there are two occupants.

I read the outdoorgearlabs review of the ultamid and I didn't think it was balanced review. It's a beautiful sheltor and instead of comparing it to other sheltors of a similar type like duomid, Locus Gear Knufu etc he says get a 9 oz tarp and I've been in a blizard in a 9 oz tarp in Oct in the Sierra's and I would much rather have been in a pyramid shelter. Also it depends what part of the country you are in and what conditions you face. How much good did zipper flaps ever do when the wind is blowing the rain in sideways anyway.

The price of the Ultamid is obscene at $650 but then when I look at zpacks Hexamid Long, not quite a pyramid but about the same length as the ultamid, it's going for $530 and it's a lighter cuben and does have a ground cloth built into the price, Khufu was $489 plus extra shipping charges from Japan. MLD Duomid is not as long but is $415. The Ultamid price is still obscene but functionally it does the job I want it to do and with great comfort. I don't like the foot of my sleeping bag rubbing up against the side of tent. Maybe it's my imagination but cuben doesn't seem to get condensation like silnylon and it doesn't sag. If it rains this is the sheltor I want to be in, if there is wind, snow, heat, bugs it works for me (the top vents have bug screens and I ordered the bug skirt). I'll have to put the garden hose on the zipper to test it if it leaks. Could HMG have done a better job on the top of zipper, yes, but a drop of silnet fixes it.

I was able to pitch it with two hiking poles and 16 inch extension pole jacks.

I liked the bug net locking system

huge amount of space, I'm 5'11" and I had 15 to 20 inches above my head and about the same at my fee.

This rising prejudice against rain flaps reminds me of the Modernist prejudice against building eaves - who needs them? With the new miracle materials, we can have pure forms! No need for eaves cluttering our perfect changes in plane!

Of course, the rains came, and inevitably, eaves-less roofs leaked, as buildings settled and materials aged, or perhaps the detailing wasn't quite right, or the application by the builder or tradesman wasn't quite ideal.

Me, I much prefer the traditional rain flap to keep me dry. A little redundancy is a worthwhile asset.